Electric terminal clip



May 27,1941. R'QN. ROWE ELECTRIC TERMINAL CLIP Filed April 1, 1939 I &C% Ill/2459 I I I INVENTOR Hum lllillrazvzun am bRNEY Patented May 27, 1941 2;243,741 ELECTRIC TERMINAL our Raymond N. Rowe, Plainville, Conn., assignor to The Trumbull Electric Manufacturing Company, Plainvllle, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application April 1, 1939, Serial No. 265,427

9 Claims.

My invention relates to clips for fuses, switches, and the like and especially to those having fiat blade ends or knife blade terminals.

The main object, is to provide a clip construction for releasably holding the blades securely in place and for reinforcing the usual contact aws.

Another object is to provide a clip of this character which serves to readily receive a knife blade of a cartridge type fuse, or the movable end of a blade of the knife switch type.

Another object is to provide a clip which can be manually released or retracted to permit removal of a fuse.

For the foregoing purposes I have provided supplemental spring plates for attachment to the usual contact jaws which are frequently of copper. These plates have their movable ends bent over so as to overlap the outer edges of the jaws and are provided with inclined cam-like tips which afford means for facilitating insertion of the knife blade, and which can be opened or spread with the finger tips or a tool to release the contact blade.

Flg. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of improved clips for holding the blades of a cartridge type fuse.

Fig. 2 is an end view of a clip with a knife blade sectioned in place.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the position of the parts upon insertion of a blade.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the spring plates.

Clips 6-6 are suitably mounted upon a support I and adapted to receive and hold knife blades 8. Each clip has the usual copper base 9 with spaced jaws I'll-Ill between which the knife blades are held. The base is held down by any suitable number of screws or bolts II. Conductors are secured. by means of lugs H in any suitable manner. H

The spring clips consist of two plates ll|4 arranged on. opposite sides of the contact laws and have feet l secured to the baseand support by the screws or bolts ll.

Each spring platemay be made of suitable spring material such as steel or phosphor bronze and is provided with a bent over lug or hook-like portion IS with an outwardly inclined portion l1. These lugs are crossed and secure the knife blades in place and prevent accidental removal thereof. The inclined portions I! provide not only means for directing the knife blade in place but means for retracting the plates for insertion of the knife blade.

These spring plates are preferably biased so as to reinforce the jaws I0-l0 and thus give greater security and efficiency to the electrical contact.

These special clips insure good contact and also prevent the fuse from falling out and from being blown out in the event of a short-circuit.

The blade may be released by twisting the free ends of the spring clips either with the fingers or with a tool such as a screw driver.

The bent over portion IS on each spring plate preferably extends slightly beyond the center line of the inserted knife blade directly in the path of removal movement of the blade so that the blade will abut against it and thus prevent accidental removal of the blade even if its edges are rounded, as shown in the drawing, or beveled, as is customary with some makes of fuses.

A screw l8 extending through a slot IS in one of the plates I4 and through one of the jaws l0 into the space between the jaws may be provided to serve as a stop for the knife blade.

I claim:

1. An electric fuse clip including opposed spaced spring plates, one end of each plate having a hook-like portion bent over and across to a point beyond the center of the space therebetween, said bent over portions being laterally offset relative to each other but in alignment forming abutments to lock the fuse blade in position against 7 accidental removal.

2. An electric fuse" clip including a base having upwardly extending spaced jaws thereon, a spring plate on the outer surface of each jaw resiliently reinforcing said jaw, and a lug on the upper end of each spring plate extending across the space between the jaws to a point beyond the center of said space, said lugs being laterally offset and having portions of their extensions crossed and aligned relative to each other to lock a fuse in position between the jaws against accidental removal.

3. A clip for an electric fuse having knife blades including a base, upwardly extending spaced jaws 0n the base, a spring plate on the outer surface of each jaw and an integral hooklike lug on the upper end of each spring plate extending across the space between the jaws to a point beyond the center of said space, said lugs being offset laterally and having portions crossed and aligned relative to each other in a direction lengthwise of the blade to lock the blade of a fuse in position between the jaws, against accidental removal, each of said lugs having an integral upwardly slanting free end, said free ends slanting in opposite directions and being adapted to receive one of the knife blades to facilitate separation of the aligned portions and to guide the blade into the space between the jaws.

4. A fuse retaining device including a pair of spaced contact jaws for receiving between them a plate-like terminal of a fuse and a pair of spring arms at opposite sides of the space between the jaws having integral hook-like portions bent inwardly and laterally crossing each other above the space between the jaws to normally lock and prevent accidental removal of the plate-like terminal when engaged between the jaws, each of said hook-like portions having an angular upwardly extending integral projection serving to guide the plate-like terminal into the space between the jaws and also serving as means to permit engagement by a tool for the purpose of separating said arms to release the plate-like terminal.

5. A fuse retaining device including a pair of spaced contact jaws for receiving between them a plate-like terminal of a fuse and a spring arm at one side of the space between the jaws having an integral hook-like portion bent inwardly and extending inwardly beyond the center of said space to provide an abutment to prevent accidental removal of the plate-like terminal and an upwardly and outwardly extending integral 7. A clip for an electric device having a knife blade including a base having a pair of spaced jaws secured thereto at one end and free at the other end, a spring plate on the outer surface of each jaw, each plate having an integral portion at its outer end bent over and across to a point beyond the center of the space between the free ends of said jaws to lock the knife blade in position against accidental removal, said bent over portions having angularly projecting ends for guiding the insertion of the knife blade into said space.

8. A clip for an electric device having a knife blade including a base having two spaced jaws secured thereto at one end and free at the other end, a spring plate on the outer surface of each jaw, each of said plates having an integral portion at its outer end bent over and across to a point beyond the center of the space between the free ends of the jaws to lock the knife blade in position against accidental removal, said bent over portions having free ends extending outwardly of the plates, the free end of one plate extending in a direction opposite to the other free end and forming a trough to receive the knife blade for guiding said blade into the space between the plates below the bent over portions.

9. An electric fuse clip including a base having a pair of spaced jaws secured thereto at one end and free at the other end, a spring plate on the outer surface of each jaw, one end of each plate having a hook-like portion bent over and across to a point beyond the center of the space between the free ends of said jaws, said bent over portions being laterallyoffset relative to each other but in alignment forming abutments to lock the fuse blade in position against accidental removal.

RAYMOND N. ROWE. 

